There are no lasers or laser handpieces on the market today that can simultaneously deliver two or more wavelengths of laser energy in spacial, fractional form. There are fractional lasers that can deliver one wavelength of laser energy. However, laser treatment usually requires different modalities of energy in order successfully treat the pathologies to which they are applied, such as skin pathologies. For example, the treatment of dermal rhytides from solar elastosis requires both deep and superficial laser effects on the skin to induce the skin to release therapeutic cytokines from the skin compartments, including the reticular dermis and papillary dermis. However, the sequential application of multiple wavelengths of laser energy compromises the treatment. The irradiation of the skin with a first wavelength of laser energy modifies the skin by coagulating tissue within the skin and causing it to swell. These effects alter the propagation of laser light within the skin such that the coagulated and swollen skin will swallow and scatter a second wavelength of laser energy that is subsequently applied in an effort to treat the skin. Moreover, the treated, swollen skin layer is inhibited in its ability to absorb therapeutic cytokines that are released by laser damage. The deficiencies of the sequential application of multiple laser wavelengths are even greater if one of the wavelength's energy beam is absorbed by water in the tissue, as is the case with laser wavelengths of 3, 5 and 10 micrometers.
Another example of the problems associated with the sequential application of different wavelengths of laser energy is provided by laser therapy of skin telangiectasias. Contemporary laser treatments for skin telangiectasias involve the application of a first laser system that emits a laser wavelength ranging between 528 nm to 595 nm to coagulate red blood vessels (i.e. small size telangiectasia), and the subsequent application of a second laser system that emits a laser wavelength ranging between 810 nm and 1080 nm to coagulate blue blood vessels (i.e. large size telangiectasia). Thus, current laser treatments for skin telangiectasias require the use of separate laser therapy systems having different wavelengths to coagulate both red and blue blood vessels in the skin, making the treatments inefficient, complicated, and costly.
What is needed in the art therefore is an effective laser therapy system that can simultaneously deliver multiple wavelengths of laser energy through the use of a single laser unit without producing interference between the wavelengths within the treated tissue.